A Light at the End of the Dark Tunnel
by Ari Eternal
Summary: Ariana Gomez is just a regular girl who moved from Colorado to Chicago. She never cared about getting new friends or even a boyfriend. But when Alex Fuentes takes a sudden interest in her, she never expected to fall for him. Even though people warned her about dating a dangerous guy, she was more worried about what dangers would fall upon Alex if he knew her secret.
1. Chapter 1

Ariana

"Class we have a new student. This is Ariana Gomez. She just moved here from Boulder, Colorado. She just moved into the house next to Brittany, I believe. For now, Ariana, you can join Brittany and Alex's group." Mrs. Peterson announces.

I nodded quietly and walked over to the table.

"Here, Ariana. Sit by me." Brittany says and smiles.

I sat between her and Alex and smiled at her. I could feel Alex's eyes on me. I turned and looked at him.

"Hey." I said to him.

He turned and looked away without saying a word.

"Don't worry about him. It's against the rules to talk to him." Brittany whispers to me.

"Why?" I asked back.

"Because he's dangerous...he's in a gang..." Brittany said.

"Ohh..." I say unintimidated.

"I forgot that you were the family that moved in next door to me. Do you like it so far?" She asked.

"Yes."

"If you want, we can hang at my house after school."

"I'm sorry. I can't today. But tomorrow?"

"Sure, tomorrow is fine. Hey you should join the poms!" Brittany said enthusiastically.

"The what?"

"Cheerleading."

"I don't know...I'll think about it." I said politely.

"Last thing, I swear. Are you African-American because your last name—"

"I'm Dominican and Mexican. My father is Mexican, my mother is Dominican."

I could see Alex look at me from the corner of my eye.

"Oh. Well yea, because your hair is so beautiful with its brown...actually you're beautiful in general. Especially your green eyes." Brittany commented.  
I looked away from Brittany. I hated when people mentioned my eyes. It made me feel like a freak.

"Thanks." I said back.

One of the students sitting in front of us turned and looked back at Brittany. It was her boyfriend, Colin Adams. When I saw his face, I became frightened. I had no idea he went to this school. He glanced at me and smirked, I quickly looked away. Then the bell rang...or sort of...and class was over.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex

I leaned against the wall near Enrique's car repair shop thinking about the new girl, Ariana. Even though she was Latina, she came from the north side, the rich people side.

"Thinking about the new girl, aren't ya?" Paco asked, interrupting my thinking.

"You loco? Of course not, pendejo." I faked.

"You better not. She's out of your league...but she is una Bonita Mexicana." Paco said.

"She's Dominicana...and Mexican. And if I wanted to get at her, I could. She's not my type." I said casually.

"Who's loco now? You like her, man. I bet you can't get into her panties in a week." Paco jokes.

I like challenges, and as stupid as the bet was, I couldn't pass it up.  
"I can do it in two months." I said.

Paco stared at me hard.  
"Forreal?" He asked me.

"Yo soy serio." I stated.

"If you lose...then I get Julio." Paco said.

I looked at my sweet motorcycle. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Deal." I said after thinking over it.

Paco opened up a beer and drowned himself with it. I leaned my head against the wall until I saw someone walking across the street nearby. This was Blood territory, and unknown people were not allowed. I was about to go scare the person off until I saw the face. It was Ariana from school. Her hood didn't completely cover her face. What the heck was she doing in the south side? She ducked into an alley and soon disappeared into darkness. Now I was curious, but I was also wondering if my curiosity will give me more than what I bargain for.


	3. Chapter 3

Ariana

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot with my green Camaro, Brittany was standing near, waiting on me. She greeted me with a hug and evaluated my outfit.

"The punk rock girl really suits your figure." She said a little too excited.

"Uhmm...thanks?" I slowly said.

"I'm having lunch with the other poms...Join us? Please? For lunch?" She begged.

"Sure I guess." I gave in.

"Awesome! I'll see you then." Brittany smiled and walked off.  
I walked inside the school ready to start the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex

I followed Ariana into the school building and to her locker. I leaned against the lockers near her and stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge me. When she didn't, I stood in between her and her open locker. She sighed annoyingly at me.

"What do you want, Alex?" She asked with an attitude.

"What the hell were you doing in the south side last night, huh?" I went straight to the point.

"It's none of your business." She said not looking me in the eye.

"Actually, I think it is cabrona. That's my territory." I claim.

"It's not yours..." She mumbles.

"What was that you said?" I threaten.

"Dejáme en paz!" She was starting to get frustrated.

"Oh so she can speak the native language..." I mock.

She shoved me away from her locker, grabbing some books and slammed it shut. She looked at me and glared, then left to her class. Out of all that, she still didn't answer the question. I rolled my eyes out of pure annoyance and trudged to my class.


	5. Chapter 5

Ariana

Soon the day was over and I was walking to my car when I realize I left my keys in the gym locker back at school. I made my way back but was stopped by Brittany.

"Hey, are you still coming over?" She asked me.

I glanced over at her friends and one of them in particular looked at me with disgust. It was Darlene Boehm, co-captain of the poms.

"Don't waste your time, Brit. It's not like she's one of us." Darlene said.

"Of course I'm still coming over. Can't wait." I said smiling, spiting Darlene.

Brittany smiled and walked to her car. I glanced over at a small area where the Latinos came together. There, I saw Alex, watching me. I ignored him and started walking inside, when I accidentally bumped into Colin. He smirked down at me and my eyes widened. I ran into the school and into the girl's locker room. Catching my breath, I opened the locker I had in gym class and grabbed my keys. I close the locker and realized that someone was behind me. I turned around quick and saw Colin. I shoved myself back into the lockers, thinking that it would give us distance. He slammed his hands on the lockers, near my face, leaning in.

"Hey Ariana." Colin smirked.

"I have to go Colin, let me leave." I said, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

He grabbed my waist and brought his hips to mine.  
"No way. Not until we finish what we started." Colin said, smirking.

"No! Get off!" I yelled.

I pushed him hard and made a break for the door. I took three steps before I felt his rough hands grab my hair, pulling me back to him. His fingers intertwined with my hair and locked. I yelped in pain and Colin chuckled.

"No no. None of that again. You can't run away from me again." He said softly.

I could feel tears come to my eyes and I felt so helpless._ What am I going to do?_


	6. Chapter 6

Alex

After i saw Ariana's face when she ran into Burro Face, i was curious. She ran inside and Colin after her. I walked into the now vacant school. Where did they go? Then i heard a yelp of some sort. I followed the sound to the girl's locker room. I peeked behind some lockers and saw Ariana and Colin. He had a lock of her hair in his hand, clearly hurting her.

"No No. None of that again. You cant run away from me again." I hear Burro face say.

I take one look at Ariana's scared and innocent little face, and i couldnt help but feel protective of her.

"What the hell do you think your doing, Adams." I said, stepping out of my hiding spot.

"What am i doing? None of your business, Fuentes. Dont you have something to do?" Colin snarled at me.

"I came to talk to my Chem partner. So i suggest you take your wiener fingers off of her before i remove them for you, pendejo." I glared at him.

He glared at me but let Ariana go, pushing her into me. I grabbed her wrist and led her out of the locker room. When we got outside of the school building, i let go of her wrist and turned towards her.

"What just happened in there? Why was the Burro face grabbing you like that?" I hammered her with questions.

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it...gracias for helping me." She said. "I have to go, so see you around." She started walking off.

"Don't think that we are done talking about this, Gomez.!" I called out after her.

She turned around and smiled a little.  
"Careful Alejo. I might start to think that you actually care." She smiled as she walked to her Camaro and drove off. As i walk to Julio, i cant help but to smile at her comment.

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**I apologize that some/most of these chapters are short. That's why I try to post more than one at a time. But, please feel free to tell me what you think so far. What do you think will happen from here?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so sorry it has taken me a while to update. I am piled high with school work. It will probably take me a while to update the next chapter. I just ask that you have patience with me.**

**Also shoutout and gratitude to toridw317 for the review.**

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Ariana

When i walked into the house, i was greeted with the smell of Paella. I went to the kitchen and hugged my mother who smelled of vanilla.

"Buen día?" She asked me.

"Sí." I lied.

I set my books on the counter and grabbed a poptart.

"So what's the occasion?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked, bewildered.

"You never cook..." I pointed out.

"...I do too! Just...not as much..." She looked down.

"Díme, mamá!" I whined.

"Stephen got a promotion! He's now C.E.O of the company. Which means more money, then we can finally move out of Fairfield—"

"Wait. Move? We are NOT moving, mamá. We just got her!" I complained.

"But honey, this neighborhood is not good for you..." She tried to reason with me.

"No, you mean you don't want me to see my biological father..." I griped.

"Híja, he's no good for you."

"No. He loves me. He cares about me. And he listens."

"Did you go see him?"

I grew quiet.

"Did you...go see your father, Aríana?" She raised her voice.

"Yes." I mumbled.

My mother left out an exasperated sigh.

"I just want you to be safe, Míja..." My mother said quietly.

I didn't want my mother upset. She can be so fragile at times, so I have to guard her heart for her. The door opened and a tall white man with sandy brown hair and ocean blue eyes in a business suit walked in.

"Hola!" He said in a bad Spanish accent.

"Hi honey." My mother chuckled.

"Where is Minerva?" I said quickly.

"Shes out in the car." The man said in a thick British accent.

I went outside and saw that my little sister was sitting the car. I open the car door and sit down next to her.

"Estas bien?" I asked

My sister shook her head no. I move some hair from her face.

"What's wrong, Míja?" I asked gently.

"This boy stepped on my hand..." She said in the cutest voice ever.

I kissed both her tiny little hands.

"Is that better?" I asked softly.

"Sí." She said smiling.

I unbuckled her carseat and picked her up, holding her in my arms. She laid her head in my chest and I took her inside. I set her down on the couch and mi'ama set the table. After Stephen emerged from his office, my mother set the food out on the table.

"So when are you going to come intern at my job, Ariana?" Stephen asked.

I sat down in the usual spot, between mi'ama and Minerva.

"Probably never." I replied casually.

"No seas ruido!" Mi'ama hissed at me.

"Its alright, Zoe. She has a right to oppose. So what exactly do you plan on doing?" Stephen challenged.

"I'm going to take pictures for National Geographic." I said.

"That's it?...that's not really a plan, Aríana. I mean, if you become a lawyer, you can make much more money." Stephen tried to convince me.

"But I don't want to be a lawyer..Stephen." I snapped.

"Aríana!...not at the dinner table. Calmate." Mi'ama said.

"Perdón, but I forgot that I'm supposed to go study at Brittany's house." I got up.  
I glanced at Mi'ama. She looked defeated and I felt bad but if I stayed any longer, I would hurt Stephen.

"I'll be back before bedtime." I said before I exited out the front door.

I walked to Brittany's house. I rang the doorbell and a pretty, old white lady opened the door. I assumed it was Brittany's mom, considering you couldn't really tell them apart. The woman looked me over, seemingly scowling at my style of clothing. I get that a lot so I'm used to it, but there are some things I'm not prepared for.

"I don't want to buy anything illegal. I have the cops on speed dial." She warned.

_So does the rest of the country, lady._

"I don't have anything illegal...neither am I here to sell stuff." I said.

Her demeanor changed when she caught a hint of my accent. I watched her eyes look over my long dark brown hair to my green eyes. I scaled the floor, I didn't feel comfortable with her staring so intensely.

"Well, sorry, there's no work for you here. I already have a maid." She said.

I snapped my head back up at her. _What the hell, lady? Racist much?_

"Mom? Whos at the door?" A voice from inside said.

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**Don't forget to review and tell your friends :) I will try to update again when I can. You can also check out my second story if you're interested.**


	8. Chapter 8

I AM SO SORRY GUYS! I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY WITH SCHOOL RELATED THINGS. I GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL SOON. I WON'T TRULY BE FREE UNTIL AFTER GRADUATION. I APPRECIATE ALL OF FOLLOWS AND VIEWS. I JUST ASK THAT YOU PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME. . THANK YOU


	9. Chapter 9

**Due to the rules of this site, I had to scratch out the entire reveal of Ariana's mother. But I left obvious details for you to figure out her identity. ^_^ I hope you like it. I know it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that.**

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Soon Brittany came to the door, moving her mother out of the way.

"Oh hey, Ariana! I thought you weren't going come." Brittany smiled.

"Yea. I actually forgot about it, but here I am." I smiled weakly.

"Please, come in. Come in." Brittany opened the door more to let me in.

I walked into her large home. Her house was almost identical to mine.

_Gotta love the suburbs..._

"My room is upstairs, follow me." Brittany said.

She led me up the long staircase to her large pink room. Our rooms were pretty much the same, minus the fact that not everything I owned was pink.

"I'm sorry about my mother. I know she can be a prune...at least you don't have to live with her." Brittany shrugs.

I laughed at her statement. Even though she was serious, it brought me joy.

"It's fine. I live with one just like her." I chuckled.

"Right. So I know I am prying but...I've heard that your mom is an actress..." Brittany said slowly.

"Yes..." I said casually, prompting her to get to her point.

"Well...What's your mom's name?"

"Zoe..."

"Zoe? You mean...?!" Brittany's eyes widened in surprise.

I chuckled at her expression and simply nodded.

"Are you forreal?! That is so awesome! I LOVE your mom!" She said excitedly.

"Yea me too." I smiled.

"I know where you get your looks from now." Brittany laughed.

"Right..so since I just got here to school, I'm a little behind in chemistry. I was thinking about asking Alex, because he seemed to really understand this stuff..." I said.

"Do me a favor and stay away from him. Brittany said gravely.

I narrowed my eyes at her, a little confused.

"What?" I asked.

"I mean, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I'm just saying be careful around him." She warned.

"Why? Because he's in a gang?" I mocked.

"Seriously, Ari, try not to get involved. I just don't want to see you get hurt." Brittany said.

I smiled at her warmly.

"What?" She asked.

"It's nothing. It's just been a long time since someone has called me that." I said.

"Oh...I can just call you Ariana if it bothers you..." She said quietly.

"No! No, actually I would prefer it." I said.

"Cool. I'm really looking forward to us being close friends." Brittany smiled widely.

"Yea...me too." I said, smiling back.

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**So of course, please review and follow! The more reviews I get, the more I know how much you like it and the more chapters get posted. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Alex

For some reason, as I worked on one of the cars in my cousin's shop, I couldn't help but to think about Ariana. There is definitely something on between her and Colin, and I couldn't help but to get curious. And I absolutely HATE being curious about something. Since I'm trying to win this damn bet, I might as well find out what exactly is going on.

"Yo! Alex!"

I turned around to see Paco walking up to me.

"Hey Paco. Que pasó?" I leaned against the car I was working on.

"A couple of us are going to the beach tomorrow afternoon. You comin'?" Paco said.

"Yo no sé...maybe. Is Carmen going to be there?" I asked curiously, kind of regretting I asked.

"...Yea." Paco hesitated.

"I don't know...it's probably not a good idea." I said.

"C'mon man. Don't be a pendejo. It's going to be fun. Plus you can't hide from her forever...c'mon dude. It's on a saturday." Paco tried to convince me.

"Fine. But if anything happens...I'm looking for you." I threatened.

"Bueno. See you then." He said before leaving.

I went back to work on the car that sat before me, my thoughts leading to Ariana once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Ariana

When I finally got home last night from Brittany's, my mom was the only one still up. She told me that Stephen had a business trip and that he wouldn't be back in two days. She had also told me that she had to go to a shooting for her new movie and she wouldn't be back until early that next morning. Morning came and flew by. Minerva woke me up early and we walked into town. I didn't want to take my car due to me not wanting to pay for gas, plus a little exercise wouldn't hurt. We went to the amusement park for a while and ate a lot of sweets, which mostly consisted of Cookies N Cream Dippin Dots. After the park, we caught a movie. Surprisingly, my little sister has never really liked kid movies. So instead of seeing a cartoon, we saw an action movie. By the time the movie was over, it was a little after 10 o'clock.

"Want to go home?" I asked her.

"No, can we go to la playa?" She asked.

"It's a little late for the beach, Minerva." I pointed out.

"Por favor? Please? Pwetty please?" She whined.

I smiled. It was absolutely adorable when she switches her "r's" to "w's."

"Ay Dios mio! Fine, we can go. But we won't stay there long and you can only get your feet wet." I warned her.

She smiled big and nodded as we made our way to the beach. We took our shoes off and walked along the edge to where the waves would pound our feet. Even though it was night time, we had light from the moon and the nearby streetlights. Minerva grabbed my hand and held it.

"Te amo, NaNa." She said.

"I love you, too, Cata." I said back.

Minerva squealed in happiness and I chuckled at her. She loved it when I called her by her middle name. It was short for Catalina. In return, she called me NaNa, which is short for Ariana.

"Be with me forever, hermana?" She asked me sweetly.

"Por supuesto, míja. Of course." I said without fail.

We saw a group of hispanic guys walking our direction. They didn't seem to notice us at first until one of them spotted us. They started lowering their talking and a few pointed in our direction. Minerva squeezed my hand and I gently squeezed back. By the time their group's path crossed with ours, they stopped and surrounded Minerva and I.

"Perdón, Miss." One of them said to me.

"Sí?" I asked, not really wanting to know what he needed.

"Is this your daughter?" He asked randomly.

_What? What kind of a stranger asks a random question like that?_

"Uhm...no this is my sister." I said, still confused.

"I thought so." He said.

_What the hell?_

I was so confused, but I didn't have time to wonder. As soon as I was about to ask why he asked a strange question, one of the guys grabbed me from behind and held my arms.

"Let me go!" I yelled.

I felt Minerva's hand release mine and my heart raced.

"Minerva!" I yelled.

I couldn't see her because the group of guys surrounded me, blocking my view. Another guy grabbed my ankles and helped the guy holding my arms lift me off the ground. I struggled against them, giving it my all. They seemed to be taking me somewhere. I screamed, hoping someone would hear. I panicked. I didn't know what was going on, who these guys were, where Minerva was, or where they're taking me.

"Let me go! Somebody!" I cried out as I kept struggling.

"Cállate la boca, cabróna!" I heard one of them say to me.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you guys are doing?" A familiar, nearby voice called out.

One of the guys that was blocking my view turned towards the sound of the voice, allowing me to see who it came from. I saw Minerva and Alex standing next to her.

_Oh great. I can only imagine how trying to thank him is going to go._

"Quien eres?" The guy holding my feet asked.

"Doesn't matter who I am, but you pendejos are on Latino Blood Territory. And I KNOW you are not LBs. So I suggest you put the chica down and leave." Alex threatened.

A couple of Alex's buddies appeared behind him, looking threatening. The guy holding my feet looked at his buddies and nodded. They suddenly dropped me on the ground and ran off. A few of Alex's buddies chased after them. Minerva ran over to me and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and I embraced her back. I glanced at Alex who was intently watching me.

"When they grabbed you, they twied to gwab me but I ran and saw him." She pointed to Alex.

I looked at quickly, fear planted on my face.

"You ran?" I asked her.

She nodded slowly and I looked over her as if leeches were all over her tiny body.

"Are you ok?" I asked her in panic.

She nodded slowly again as tears began to come down her cheeks. She hugged my neck again.

"I thought I would never see you again, Nana." She mumbled, her tears wetting my shirt.

I stood to my feet, carrying her in my arms.

"Are you ok?" Alex finally asked.

"Sí. Gracias." I said back.

He narrowed his eyes at me but I didn't have time to ask why because a girl walked up to me.

"Hey, are you guys ok?" The girl asked.

"Yea. We are now, thanks. You are...?" I wondered.

"Isabel Avila...we have gym together." Isabel said.

"Oh yeah."

"Do you need a ride?"

"No, I have my house keys—" I checked my pockets but felt no keys.

I looked around where I was and the area near me but I couldn't find them.

"Carajo! I must have dropped them somewhere..." I said exasperated.

"It's ok. I can give you a ride. You can crash at my place, too, if you want." Isabel said kindly.

"No thank you. My mom should be home by now." I said.

"Alright. Let's go." Isabel smiled.

I followed behind Isabel to the parking lot nearby to a rundown car.

"Alex, you're going to have to sit in the back. My passenger's door won't open." Isabel warned.

Alex nodded. He climbed in the backseat, then me and then Minerva beside me. We drove off into the night in silence. I looked out the window, watching the lights pass by. I couldn't help but to get sleepy. Soon I felt my gaze drift and my eyes close.

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**Please Please review! It would mean a lot. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Alex

I was silently looking out the window when I felt something heavy on my shoulder. I turned to see Ariana sleeping soundly on my shoulder. Well this was just perfect. I gently moved her from my shoulder to my lap, her long hair spread out across my legs. I grazed my fingers through her brown hair. Her hair was so soft and silky like ribbons. I glanced over at her sister, who was glaring at me.

"Qué pasa, chiquitita?"I asked.

"Nana is not for sale!" She said in the cutest voice ever.

"I know that...how old are you?" I wondered.

She held up four little tiny fingers as if she were so proud.

"Four? Hmm..well a 4 year old shouldn't be in a 17 year old's business." I teased.

She huffed and turned away from me. I looked back down at the sleeping person on me. There were some things about Ariana that I didn't notice before now. Things like: how precise her nose was, how perfect her lips were, and how flawless her skin was. I couldn't deny it any longer. I'm attracted to this girl, maybe even a lot. She especially annoys me when she turns into a smart-alec, but it really makes like her even more. But I know these feelings don't need to be real because I am a dangerous person. But for some reason, I can't seem to shake the feeling that she is more dangerous than me.

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**Well how was that? Review, follow for updates. You can even tell me how you think it will go or ideas. ^_^**


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